


The Birth of Musica

by Takara_Phoenix



Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, Original Work
Genre: Dominic Sherwood is Apollo, F/M, Fluff, Frey and Apollo are Bros, Hades is a Good Husband, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Matchmaker Persephone, Mpreg, Persephone is a Good Sister, Protective Artemis, Slash, Worried Persephone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-11-16
Packaged: 2019-01-25 13:04:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12532060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/pseuds/Takara_Phoenix
Summary: Persephone is worried about her brother Apollo, for his love-life does not have the best track-record. She sets her mind to helping him find love and starts investigating whether or not he might be interested in anyone. Her investigations bring forth quite the surprise.





	1. Chapter 1

Title: The Birth of Musica – Hidden Happiness

Fandom: Greek Mythology

Disclaimer : All rights to this story reserved to me, though the gods are all copyright by their respective pantheons and the crazy, amazing minds who created the original myths.

Warnings : shounen-ai, shoujo-ai, hetero, explicit intercourse, anal

Main Pairing: Helios/Apollo

Side Pairings: Hades/Persephone, Helios/Hecate (mentioned, past)

Greek Godly Characters : Apollo, Helios, Persephone, Hades, Artemis, Zerberus

Norse Godly Characters : Frey, Skirmir, Sol, Bjort

Egyptian Godly Character : Ra

Celtic Godly Character : Belenus

Summary: Persephone is worried about her brother Apollo, for his love-life does not have the best track-record. She sets her mind to helping him find love and starts investigating whether or not he might be interested in anyone. Her investigations bring forth quite the surprise.  
  


**The Birth of Musica**

_ Hidden Happiness _

 

Persephone loved gardening. It was in her nature, really. Literally. But mostly so, she loved it for the fond memories of her childhood, of gardening with her mother and her most beloved brother, Dionysus. He had often sought Demeter out and had come to love his aunt as more of a mother than their stepmother Hera would ever be.

It was a thing they did, the children of Zeus. Finding an escape from their stepmother’s uncalled cruelty. Hera had always hated her husband’s affairs and the products of those. Persephone could consider herself lucky for Demeter also lived on Olympus, raising her daughter herself and standing up to Hera. Something Demeter had always been best at, according to Hades.

But not all children of Zeus were as lucky.

Athena was hardened and she had found a comrade in Enyo, who had always helped make her life on Olympus easier. Enyo and her twin-brother Ares, as well as Hebe and Eleithyia, had always had the ‘easiest’ time, considering they were actually Zeus’ legitimate heirs. Hephaestus, well. He was his very own story. And Hermes had - or so Persephone assumed - mainly taken the job as messenger god to spend as much time off Olympus as possible. Dionysus, as mentioned, had found comradery with Persephone and Demeter and had made his own place in the family. The Muses and Graces mainly stuck to themselves and had always had this place of their own. Ersa and Pandeia had moved out to live with their mother as soon as physically possible and avoided visiting as much as possible. And the Horae - oh, Persephone tried _not_ to think of them, they were very taxing to be around anyway and not even Hera dared mess too much with them (though, of course, Persephone had a special spot for her fellow Spring Goddess Thallo).

And then there were the other twins. Artemis and Apollo. Artemis, well, there was a reason she ran a hunt all across the globe and was essentially never home. And Apollo…

Persephone loved gardening. But she hated this particular garden with a passion.

It was the garden of Apollo. The garden where he lovingly took care of his former lovers. Because being the stepson of Hera was not a hard enough cross to bear, no his love-life was a horrible mess too. He was probably the unlukiest among them when it came to that aspect of life.

Persephone suspected that it was part of the reason why he kept shouldering more and more _and more_ responsibilities.

She? She was content with her flowers and spring and with being the Queen of Hades. That was enough. Well, she did dabble as the Winter Goddess sometimes, but seasonal jobs had the benefit of not requiring her attention all-year round.

And in general, all of her siblings had found a realm that, even if covering more ground, still somewhat went hand in hand - like Hermes. Trickery and thievery and travelers, they did go so well together.

But Apollo? Apollo was all over the place. Like taking care of the Sun Chariot every single day wasn’t a taxing enough job, no Apollo had to shoulder healing, prophecies, archery, music, poetry. Some liked to whisper behind his back that he could simply not make up his mind, that he was indecisive. No. Not really. Persephone knew him better than that. Apollo was a healer - he wanted to help people, make them better, which also spoke to his role as the god of prophecies and oracles, because he wanted to _help_. Apollo was strong and cunning - he was an archer. But deep down, Apollo was soft and gentle - he was a poet and musician.

Apollo was all those things and he didn’t compromise who he was. He didn’t allow himself to be reduced to just one aspect, one characteristic. And part of Persephone truly admired that. (The part of Persephone that had formed its own personality and reputation as Praxidike, Goddess of Justice and Balance, because she too was more than met the eye.)

“Thank you for helping me with this, Phone.”

She blinked and looked up from the cypress tree she had been tending to. “Of course, Polly. You know I love gardening. It’s very relaxing.”

She _hated_ this garden. She hated what it represented. She hated how it had broken her brother’s heart over and over again, with every single lover turned plant who found their way into this gods-forsaken place.

“You hate this place”, chuckled Apollo knowingly as he gently traced the star-shaped petals of the hyacinth flower. “And I can’t hold it against you. Sometimes, I hate it too. Sometimes, I think aunt Hestia and… and Athena and Artemis are onto something - don’t tell them I said that though.”

“No, you don’t”, snorted Persephone and threw a hand full of dirt at him.

He yelped and glared while trying to get the dirt out of his shoulder-long, golden-blonde hair. “Woman. Don’t mess with the hair. It’s perfection.”

“So vain”, sighed Persephone fondly, brushing her hands off against her hips.

Apollo laughed, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at his sister. He was so… inherently good and sweet and he deserved to be happy. He deserved more than just a garden filled with tragic former loves.

Persephone’s eyes sharpened as she made a decision.

 

/break\

 

Hades frowned suspiciously. There was a mean glimmer in his wife’s eyes. Had he done something wrong? He didn’t step on a daisy again, did he? No. She wasn’t looking at him. She was staring out the window, at her garden. Trees made of gold, with leaves of precisely cut emeralds and flowers of rubies.

“My love…”, started Hades gently as he approached his wife. “You look vexed.”

“Aphrodite is a–a–a _brat_ ”, huffed Persephone frustrated.

That itself was not exactly groundbreaking news. Hades blinked a couple of times, while Zerberus whined and pushed past him. He was decidedly taking too long to approach the queen, so he had to get out of the giant puppy’s way. Zerberus was demanding when he wanted cuddles. He whined pleased as he rested two heads on her lap. With a smile did Persephone start petting the mighty beast.

“Who’s a good boy? Such a good boy”, whispered Persephone fondly.

“What… business did you have with Aphrodite?”, inquied Hades curiously.

He took a seat next to his wife and Zerberus gladly rested his third head on Hades’ knee. Hades smiled thinly and started caressing the over-grown puppy. The unholy smile on his wife’s lips told him exactly what he needed to know. He shuddered in anticipation.

“Apollo-”, started Persephone and leaned back.

“No. Woman, _no_ ”, protested Hades firmly, glaring at his wife. “Not Apollo. Of all of your siblings, not him. It never ends well.”

“That’s precisely why, Hades”, chided Persephone seriously.

“No”, repeated Hades with a glower. “Meddling with the love-life of a god is rarely a good idea. Eros and Aphrodite are fiercely protective of their realms. But _him_ , of all gods. No, my love, please-”

“Either you get out of here, of you get on board with the plan”, interrupted Persephone, her bright eyes piercing and determined.

He heaved a sigh and resigned himself to his fate. “What did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know. That’s the _problem_ , Hay”, sighed Persephone, clearly frustrated. “If it were Chloris - well, I actually _did_ set her up with Zephyrus, so there is that… I just, I _know_ my flowers. I know what and who they might need. He’s… not just the sun, but he burns so bright and I’m afraid anyone I might come up with would… burn along with him.”

“On the very rare occasions that I am at a loss as to what to get you…”, started Hades very softly and with a nearly sheepish expression. “I go and ask Iduna.”

“Well, I mean, she _is_ my best friend and knows me inside–oh”, hummed Persephone as she realized what her husband was talking about.

A smile lit up her face as she gently pushed Zerberus off her lap. She had an Elf King to visit.

 

/break\

 

Persephone pulled the cape of her cloak a little deeper into her face. It wasn’t that she wasn’t welcomed in the Norse realms - quite the contrary, really, she spent a lot of time here with Iduna - but that was Godheim. This? This was Alfheim.

The only gods from other realms  who made a habit of visiting the realm of Light Elves were Sun Gods. They felt rather at home here (some even had vacation homes here). She, however, was the queen of an underworld. That might draw some unwanted attention.

“Lady Persephone. The Lady Iduna is, I believe, in the hall of the gods with the Lady Sif. You must have lost your way quite some”, stated an ethereal Light Elf.

Feeling sheepish about the unnecessary costume, she pulled the cloak back. “I’m not here for Iduna. I wanted an audience with your king, Lord…”

“Skirmir, milady. Just a humble servant of our king”, drawled the Light Elf and bowed deeply. “Please, allow me to lead the way and accept my apology.”

She smiled and waved him off, allowing Skirmir to lead her to the garden of the mighty palace. Honestly, she did enjoy the Nine Realms. They held a beauty so fundamentally different from Olympus.

“The Lady Persephone of Hades”, announced Skirmir as they reached a small gathering of gods.

The king looked up in mild surprise. He sat together with Ra and Helios, as well as two female goddesses Persephone didn’t know by name but identified as Norse from their clothing. Helios regarded her curiously and tilted his head, while Ra didn’t seem too interested in her presence. Well, he rarely was interested in anything that didn’t concern him directly.

Frey however. Frey was beautiful. It came with being an elf, she supposed. The long, flowing hair, the sun-kissed skin. Somehow lithe and ageless. She bowed just the slightest to show her respect. He raised both eyebrows.

“Sol, Bjort, would you mind accompanying our guests to the dining hall?”, inquired the Elf King.

His fellow Norse sun deities nodded, leading the other Sun Gods toward the palace.

“Aten and the others will regret missing this. I heard Gerda cooked”, offered Ra intrigued as the Sun Gods left.

“Belenus and Lugh had ‘better things’ to do”, replied Helios casually. “And who knows where Apollo is frolicking around.”

“…Frolicking?”, echoed Ra in disbelief.

“Was I interupting something important?”, asked Persephone concerned.

That was quite the gathering of Sun Gods, after all. Frey chuckled and shook his head.

“I never get them all in one place anyway. Half of them couldn’t make it again, so there is that. Not even my own brother-in-law could make it! _Or_ my best friend. I will be upset if I miss my wife’s cooking though, so I do hope it’s important, my queen”, replied Frey.

He regarded her with eyes of an unnatural intensity. Burning as bright as the sun. No surprises there, really. She offered a gentle smile, appreciating his respect for her title. Many gods tended to be a bit too self-obsessed in their own realms.

“I wanted to talk to you about my brother. Apollo”, started Persephone gently.

“The one who couldn’t even make time today”, huffed Frey with the slightest glare.

“I’m afraid that might have been my fault”, chuckled Persephone. “I asked Hermes to interfere. I didn’t want Apollo to know I’m here.”

“…Continue. This is getting interesting”, prompted Frey with sparkling eyes.

Sighing, Persephone turned to watch the sunset as she contemplated her words. “He’s been… holed up in his garden a lot lately. And… there is a certain deeply seated sadness clinging to him. I just… As you know, with your lovely wife, a well-matched consort can make eternity rather blissful.”

“You want to set him up”, grunted Frey, one eyebrow arched. “Huh. Not that Eros and Aonghus didn’t already try _that_. Spoiler: She’s a flower now.”

“See. That’s just the problem”, sighed Persephone. “He continues chasing mortals. That’s… never going to end well. I just… I was hoping for something more permanent. Maybe a god. Someone who won’t just be turned into a plant.”

Frey also raised his second eyebrow. He dragged his eyes slowly over her as though he was trying to read what sh wasn’t saying. She shifted a little under the heat of his gaze.

“And what do you want from me?”, inquired Frey.

“You’re his best friend! I’m just his sister. You don’t tell your siblings everything”, huffed Persephone. “But you do tell your best friend. So. Did he ever… mention… anyone to you?”

Frey smiled thin-lipped and shook his head. “I’m afraid no. He’s… Oddly enough, for how much he talks, he rarely says anything, you know?”

“I do”, sighed Persephone frustrated. “So this trip was a waste of both our time then?”

Frey’s eyes wandered to a point above her shoulder, at the entrance to the palace, a sly smile on his lips as he shook his head. “We’ll see about that. Now, do you want to stay for dinner?”

She frowned at his omnious claim and turned to see what he had been looking at. There was no one. Nothing. She shook her head.

“Thank you for the invitation, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline”, replied Persephone politely.

“Very well. Good night, Queen Persephone”, hummed Frey.

“Good night, King Frey”, nodded Persephone in answer.

She turned away and pulled her cloak tighter, frustration coloring her face. Her husband’s idea hadn’t been bad. Just fruitless. The irony. She left Alfheim with swift magic, returning home. Well, perhaps she ought to seek someone else then. Maybe Artemis would…

“So. What exactly are you up to, Phone?”

She blinked and looked up. Apollo sat on the windowsill of her bedchamber, his legs dangling out of the window, golden-blonde hair falling into his face. The smile on his lips was devilish.

“Whatever are you talking about?”, countered Persephone innocently.

“Oh please”, snorted Apollo and rolled his mismatched eyes. “You had that creepy determined look on your face when you left yesterday. The same look you had when you decided to run away to the underworld. The ‘I have a plan and I’ll pull through with it, even if it leaves scorched Earth behind’-look. It’s really very scary, sis. And then today, the first time in forever that I’d have been able to make a Light Gathering, Hermes suddenly drops by and keeps me far away from Frey’s palace. It didn’t take long to get him to confess that you set him up to it. So?”

“He’s so weak”, huffed Persephone with a pout. “Okay, okay. Fine. So maybe I was… trying. To find someone. For you. You’re so… lonely. And you deserve to be happy too, Polly. I thought maybe you had slipped about a crush to Frey.”

The slight rise in color on his cheeks told her that while he might not have slipped to Frey, there definitely _was_ a crush. Her eyes sharpened.

“Urgh. You’re worse than Aphrodite”, huffed Apollo. “Just leave me alone, women.”

With that, he disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Persephone behind to wonder what exactly Apollo was hiding.  
  


/break\

 

Helios frowned as he watched from a distance. He and Apollo were the only Greeks to make their way to Alfheim. The queen of the underworld however…? It was enough to leave him suspicious and risk Ra devouring his dessert (Spoiler: Ra _did_ eat his dessert. No surprises there, that greedy bastard), just to eavesdrop on Frey and Persephone. He was aware that the king of Alfheim had spotted him, but quite frankly he didn’t care too much.

So Persephone wanted Apollo to find happiness? How… endearing. The most Eos would have for Helios would probably be a star thrown at his head and a glare aimed his way until he got his act together.

Shaking his head fondly, he continued on his way to the dining hall to find Ra had decided to start with dessert. With _his_ dessert. Needless to say, his mood deflated at that, but he continued as were when Frey returned to join them.

Though he was relieved when dinner found an end and he could return home.

He wasn’t surprised by what he found there waiting for him. “Are you… Are you _sulking_ , Phoebus?”

Apollo lifted his head to glare at Helios. Not that Apollo’s glares were in any way or shape effective. With the full, pink lips set in a firm and kissable pout, the way his brows furrowed and creased was just too adorable. Truly, Apollo could not pull off ‘angry’ well. And sulking - hah. The sunniest and brightest god, trying to be dark and gloomy? That was doomed to fail. Judging by the increase of the pout, his thoughts must be showing on his face in the form of a fond smile. Apollo didn’t appreciate Helios being fond of Apollo’s pouting.

“Don’t always call me that”, complained Apollo irritated. “Stupid nickname. I swear, one day it’ll stick.”

“Never”, whispered Helios gently as he approached Apollo and gently cupped his face. “It is _my_ name for you. And mine alone.”

Apollo’s face softened and the crease in his eyebrows finally eased off. Apollo stared up at him with those large, impossible eyes.

And truly, they were impossible.

His right eye was pure, light blue, as the sky on a sunny day, but his left eye was one quarter golden, as though the sun was rising into the sky right there, in Apollo’s eyes. Helios knew from experience that he could get lost in those eyes for hours, counting the light and dark shades of gold and blue.

“…Stop staring at me like that. It’s kind of creepy”, grunted Apollo pointedly, a pleasant flush coloring his cheeks.

“I’m sorry, my Phoebus”, whispered Helios gently as he leaned in to kiss the other Sun God.

Apollo greedily leaned in against him, hands resting on Helios’ broad chest, deepening the kiss. Winding his arms around Apollo’s waist, Helios pulled the younger god closer and let one hand wander up Apollo’s spine, making the golden-blonde god shudder. His hand entangled in the golden-blonde strands, tugging just a bit to make Apollo tilt his head back.

“Why do you insist on hiding us, my Phoebus?”, inquired Helios as they parted.

Apollo was panting and flushed, glaring up at Helios. “It’s… I… I don’t want you to be turned into a sunflower or something, Helios. …Stop laughing.”

“I’m sorry, my sunshine”, chuckled Helios as he tried sobering up. “I’m a _Titan_. I’m not your weak little mortal. Who do you think would dare try to turn me into a… sunflower? Regardless of how befitting the choice would be.”

“Hera. For example”, shrugged Apollo doe-eyed. “Do you have _any_ idea what kind of shit she put Heracles through before the guy got to join us on Olympus? Seriously, the cruel things she did to his lover just because he’s a bastard of Zeus… I just… I just… don’t _trust_ the Fates anymore. Someone will find some reason to take this away from me - and I _can’t_. I just…”

Frowning in concern, Helios cupped Apollo’s cheek and pulled him some closer. “It’s alright, love. No one is going to take me away from you.”

“…So, where exactly do you _see_ a problem here, Persephone? Is this why I had to cut my hunt short. To watch my brother snog his mentor?”

“I…”, squeaked Persephone. “Uh.”

Apollo and Helios turned around wide-eyed to face Persephone and a less than impressed Artemis.

 

/break\

 

Apollo stared wide-eyed at his sisters and instinctively pushed Helios off. The older Sun Deity grunted at the impact and glared just a little. Though Apollo was too flustered to notice, because he was focused on Persephone and Artemis.

“Bro-other”, drawled Artemis in that threatening thone of her that usually meant that she was going to throw something at him if he didn’t comply.

“It’s not what you think. You see nothing. Nothing is going on here”, tried Apollo.

“…You’re not Aphrodite. You can’t charmspeak us into forgetting what we just saw”, deadpanned Artemis and threw a pillow at him.

“How long? Why didn’t you say something? How could you look so sad and say those things inthe garden if you actually have a lover?”, blurted Persephone out anxiously.

Apollo looked ready to flee, so Helios rested a firm hand on his lover’s shoulder and guided him over to sit down, motioning for the two goddesses to follow. They did, though Artemis was glaring at him dangerously. Helios was well-aware of how over-protective Artemis was of Apollo, though Apollo himself was blissfully oblivious to all the threats she had made on his behalf.

“I don’t even know”, sighed Apollo and leaned back against Helios. “Guess it _kind of_ started when I first became the Sun God and was just… so in over my head and there was this handsome, kind guy who taught me how to ride a chariot and how to take care of the sun and…”

“I did not know that”, hummed Helios surprised, looking at the younger god. “You never told me you had a crush on me back then!”

“Because it’s embarrassing and I was just a kid back then”, hissed Apollo red-cheeked, hitting Helios on the chest.

“Well then., How did _this_ start?”, prompted Artemis once more, eyes sharp.

“We were… I think we were in Alfheim. I think it was Frey’s turn to host our little gatherings and I hadn’t seen Apollo in many years at that point. Our schedules never really alligned for the annual Sun God meetings…”

 

/Flashback\

  
  


Helios rubbed his forehead, exhausted by Ra’s complaints about Horus and Seth. Not that he couldn’t understand them. And he did enjoy those annual meetings between the Sun Gods - as many of them as could attend anyway. They met up casually among friends more often, but those grand gatherings were rare.

“So. How is your love-life doing, Helios?”, inquired Belenus curiously. “Belisama and I have been dying to invite you over to a double-date with Hecate.”

Helios winced at that. Things with Hecate had been going relatively well. They had three children together - Aeetes, Circe and Pasiphae. But in the end, there hadn’t been enough to hold them together and they broke up. Not exactly the kind of thing he had wanted to discuss today. The breakup wasn’t _fresh_ or _raw_ anymore. He knew it had been for the best. But he had been feeling rather lonely since then (and the troubles his children and grandchildren caused were a good distracting headache).

He just wanted to reply as someone practically stumbled into the meeting, clearly late. Helios paused as he took in the youth. Lithe, muscular body, wild golden hair, full lips and–wait. Helios _knew_ those eyes. Those eyes were unique to only one god, but that was impossible.

“Apollo?”, asked Helios stunned. “You’re…”

“Not a little kid anymore?”, offered Apollo with a cheeky grin.

That was one way of phrasing it. The doe-eyed, sweet child Helios had instructed all those centuries ago… had really shaped up into a gorgeous young man. Helios scooted over a little, subtly offering Apollo a seat. The golden-blonde youth flushed pleased as he took said seat. How endearing and non-subtle. Helios smiled fondly.

“How have you been?”, inquired Helios interested.

 

/Flashback | End\

 

“We got really very drunk and ended up in bed together”, summed Apollo up before Helios could turn any more sappy. “And it kind of became a regular thing until it kind of became… more than that.”

“Okay. Okay”, nodded Persephone slowly, hands on her knees. “And… is there _anything_ else that, I don’t know, that I _don’t know_?”

Apollo stared doe-eyed at his sisters, another blush coloring his cheeks as he tried to duck away. Helios wrapped an arm around his lover.

“We accidentally made a baby?”, blurted Apollo out. “So you’re kind of aunts?”

“…What? _What_?”, asked Artemis stunned, turning to glare at Helios. “You-”

“It was a mutual effort”, interrupted Helios offended.

“And a bit of an accident…”, tagged Apollo on.

 

/Flashback\

 

Apollo was smiling softly as he laid curled together against Helios’ chest, watching the sunset. He loved watching the sunset, especially if he wasn’t the one who had to do all the heavy lifting for it. Helios was carding his fingers through Apollo’s hair with just enough pressure to make Apollo feel like goo. It was such a sweet and cozy moment, Apollo cherished those the most. He loved how… loved he felt with Helios.

“Will you sing for me?”, asked Helios gently.

That was another thing Apollo really loved about Helios. Helios loved all of Apollo, not just one aspect. They talked about the sun a lot and took rides on the chariot, yes, of course. But when Apollo got lost in some new medical methode and rambled on about it, Helios always listened vividly too. Helios would indulge Apollo in his poets - Apollo knew he wasn’t _the best_ at those. And Helios really loved to listen to Apollo sing.

And as Apollo sang, bathed in the light of the setting sun and filled with the warmth of love, there seemed to be a glow coming from within him, surrounding both of them. The soft song ended abruptly as a baby manifested in Apollo’s lap. He yelped and hastily wrapped his arms around it before it could fall off. The little girl with the dark curls giggled delighted at that.

“Uhm… That’s… new”, muttered Apollo stunned.

“That’s… that never happened before”, agreed Helios surprised, leaning over Apollo’s shoulder to take a look at the baby.

 

/Flashback | End\

 

“I’m not sure if you heard about her - Musica, my daughter”, ended Helios.

“Mh. There _have_ been a lot of questions as to who her mother is, but…”, started Persephone and blinked.

“Hey. Athena makes babies by thinking them up!”, defended Apollo fiercely. “Apparently, I can sing them into existence in the right circumstances. Who knew.”

“Let’s get back to the question of why you’re hiding this”, requested Artemis sharply.

“I… I don’t want for someone to turn him into a plant”, whispered Apollo and averted his eyes. “It’s just… I…”

“So that’s what that look was”, grunted Persephone in understanding. “Not pain of loneliness but the fear to lose what you have.”

“Yes”, nodded Apollo, pain written all over his face. “I just… I have never been this happy before and I don’t want anyone to take it away from me. Please. Please don’t tell anyone?”

“Fine”, sighed Artemis and shook her head. “Does Selene know?”

“No. No one aside from Musica knows”, replied Helios.

Artemis looked pleased by that, making Apollo roll his eyes. Selene and Artemis had had a rivalry from day one and it was kind of ridiculous.

“I want to meet my niece!”, demanded Persephone and sat up straighter.

“Yes. Definitely. She is in dire need of some female guidance. It’s time she meets two of her aunts”, agreed Artemis seriously.

And there was definitely no getting out of this. Apollo turned to look at Helios and heaved a sigh. Helios smiled and took his lover’s hand, linking their fingers. They got up and motioned for Artemis and Persephone to follow them. It didn’t take too long to reach the home of Musica; she didn’t live far from Apollo’s place. She was standing in front of the house, with a broom in her hands, sweeping. She was humming gently, a beautiful melody. Her long, dark curls were put up and the golden-white robes she was wearing were swaying in tune to her humming.

“Musica”, called Helios out.

The girl looked up and her face brightened. “Father! Mo-”

She stopped as she saw the two women with them. Smiling at her, Helios approached to wrap his arms around his daughter and hug her.

“It’s alright. They… know. They’re your aunts, Persephone and Artemis”, whispered Helios softly.

Musica brightened up even more and charged right at Apollo then. “Mother!”

Apollo grunted - whether at the title or the impact, Helios wasn’t sure. But he hugged her tightly nonetheless, burying his face in her curls.

“Hey, sweetie. There’s someone I want you to meet…”, started Apollo.

Persephone smiled softly as she watched Apollo with Helios and Musica. Guess she didn’t have a thing to worry about after all. Musica turned toward her and Artemis with a bright smile. Her eyes sparkled just like Apollo's and the excitement dancing in them reminded her of her brother too.

“It's... wonderful to meet you. I'm Persephone”, said Persephone with a gentle smile.

“It's so awesome I get to meet you!”, exclaimed Musica escitedly. “Mother speaks of you both so highly all the time! I've been dying to meet you!”

“Highly?”, echoed Artemis with a knowing smirk, causing Apollo to stick his tongue out.

“She just misunderstood that”, huffed Apollo defensively, arms crossed, making the others laugh.

  
  


_~*~ The End ~*~_

 


	2. Epilogue: How to Prevent Trials of Apollo From Happening, Sponsored by Loki

Helios was exhausted.

His duties were straining in on themselves, but in the past years in particular. After all, his lover was very busy with Olympian duties - mainly so related to his prophetic gifts. So Helios, being the good, caring boyfriend he was, of course took over some of his lover’s duties. Mainly the sun-related ones.

Only that his duties had been very straining and distracting lately. Especially the closer the Giant War drew. Helios hated that. He wished to stand by his lover’s side, have Apollo’s back.

Apollo had smiled sweetly at him, those mismatched eyes sparkling brightly as he had leaned up on his tip-toes to kiss Helios’ cheek and then shove him hard.

His little sunshine was a fighter, not just a lover. Helios knew that. Of course did he know that. The only one matching him with a bow and arrow was his twin-sister Artemis. Apollo could hold himself in a fight if he had to.

That didn’t mean Helios _wanted_ him in the middle of a fight though. A war no less.

Yet this one… was different.

Gods loved using demigods as pawns. But this war required the gods to also fight themselves. To slay the Giants at the demigods’ side.

Helios trusted his sunshine. He knew Apollo would be fine during the war. And now that the war was over, Helios was looking forward to embracing his lover again, just grab Apollo, take him home and live in peace for a century or two.

Maybe take some time off to spend in Alfheim? They did have this cozy little vacation home there… It would be nice. And Apollo surely would be happy to spend more time with his best friend Frey. That might sway Apollo.

And to be honest, that idea wasn’t so spontaneous. Helios had spent the past few weeks preparing said vacation home, making it as homey as possible for his love. Apollo deserved the rest.

“Helios, my _dear_ , _old_ friend.”

Helios paused. He didn’t turn around. That sweet voice, like poisoned honey. A scowl etched its way onto his face as he took a deep breath to turn around and give Loki Laufeyson a piece of his mind. Said piece of mind was stuck in his throat when he noticed that Loki wasn’t alone.

“Hel Lokisdatter. A rare pleasure, milady”, stated Helios, voice very soft as he bowed.

He knew to respect a king or queen when he met them, regardless what pantheon they were from. Hel offered him the smallest smile in return, a shy one. Her long hair fell into her face, covering the rotting half and only revealing the beautiful one. Her dress, long sleeves on one side, a glove that reached all the way up to her shoulder in addition to it. She half hid behind her father and Loki, as always, stood in a protective stance in front of his only daughter.

The trickster had a pleased half-smirk on his face as he regarded Helios curiously, fingers playing with his well-groomed goaty as he tilted his head. It were his eyes that had always unsettled Helios, if he was being honest. Green as poison, shimmering silver with lies and danger.

Helios stood straight, looking at the two Norse gods curiously. What were they doing in Alfheim? Loki preferred… Well, none really, he was always everywhere - wherever he could cause most mischief. But Hel? The queen of Helheim? Why would the Ice Queen seek the realm of the sun god? Helios could see how clearly uncomfortable the goddess was, looking a bit red-cheeked there.

“Listen, this isn’t a favor for _you_ , Titan”, stated Loki, voice unusually serious.

“A favor?”, echoed Helios surprised. “What do you _want_ , lie smith?”

Helios was startled as Loki threw a golden apple at him. Helios blinked slowly, eyes wide as he stared at the holy fruit. The immortality granting fruit, guarded by the Goddess Iduna for _all_ the gods and pantheons (though she had gardeners assisting her from all the pantheons too. The Hesperides from the Graeco-Romans, for example). Not many knew that ambrosia, the food of the gods that granted them immortality, was actually _made_ , among other ingredients, of the golden apples.

“Father speaks the truth”, pieped Hel up, looking displeased. “That’s why I’m here. I _know_ how unreasonably unrealistic that statement is.”

“Hey. A bit more respect for your old man”, grunted Loki with a glare.

Hel gave him a deadpan look before returning her attention to Helios once more. “Your Olympians have decided to strip one of your own off his immortality. Your king couldn’t make that decision without Hades knowing. After all, a god now runs the danger of being _killed_ and _dying_. And, well, when I was in the park with my puppy Garm last week, we walked with Hades and Zerberus for a while and he mentioned it. And when I heard _who_ …”

Helios didn’t like where this was going. He gripped the apple tighter. Loki’s smirk grew more knowing and wicked. Helios had the urge to throw the apple into his pretty face.

“My dear daughter told me and I could not let it stand like that”, drawled Loki. “I mean, he _is_ my best friend’s favorite brother. Hermes would be quite unbearable if something happened to precious Apollo.”

“Then why not go to Hermes?”, asked Helios, still suspicious.

“Ah”, grunted Loki with a careless shrug. “Daddy issues. You know the guy can’t go up agains Zeus. You? A Titan? This could be… entertaining.”

Helios gritted his teeth and averted his eyes to stare at the floor. Loki and Hel remained silent for a long stretch of silence. He really didn’t like Loki - mainly because Loki and Apollo had kind of a _fling_ prior to Helios and Apollo getting together. Helios wasn’t a fan of how much Loki enjoyed reminding him of this.

“Thank you, Loki. You… have my grattitude”, grunted Helios out unwillingly. “You too, Queen Hel.”

The self-satisfied smile on Loki made Helios _really_ want to throw the apple. “My, it would be a shame if something _so pretty_ would be wasted. Just… take care of this, Titan.”

“I will, Eldojotun”, replied Helios sharply, watching with satisfaction how Loki flinched.

The Aes did not like being reminded that his status as a god was an _earned_ one and that, foremost, he was still a born _Fire Giant_. Loki sneered at him briefly before returning to his charming smile.

“Very well then. Come along, sweetie. Grandma invited us for tea and cake”, declared Loki, waving a dismissive hand in Helios’ general direction.

“Oh! Grandma Laufey makes the best cakes. Bye, Helios”, chimed Hel, seemingly farm ore motivated by that prospect.

With that, the two Norse gods disappeared. Leaving Helios with his apple.

/break\

“W–Who in the world…?”, grunted a startled teenager.

The boy, with messy black hair, stared up at Helios with surprised, sea-green eyes. Helios only spared the human one glance before turning to the one in the boy’s company. A scowl founds its way onto Helios’ face as he threw the golden apple at his boyfriend. Apollo smiled brighter than the sun as he caught it.

“Oh! Wonderful. Early rescue. Just started wondering where our new little dynamic duo was going to head next to solve this little… problem of mine”, chimed Apollo happily, rubbing the apple againsth is robes. “Huh. Those things are _not_ handed out easily. Iduna is _possessive_ of them. How did you…?”

“A _thief_ dropped it off”, growled Helios and grabbed Apollo by the arm. “Come.”

“…I don’t like it when you’re angry”, noted Apollo dubiously. “Are you… angry with me?”

“No”, replied Helios, the growl growing darker as the sky above them clouded over. “Someone else. I’m glad you’re fine, my love.” His voice grew gentler at that as he cupped Apollo’s cheek and checked him for injuries before turning toward the human. “Thank you, for protecting my sunshine. I am indebted to you. If _any_ god gives you a hard time again, call for Helios and I will stand by your side.”

“A free favor from a god. That’s a new one. Cool.”

Apollo wrapped one arm aroung Helios’ neck, the other hand still holding the apple as he brought it up to his rosy lips and took a large bite from it. To grand immortality, one needed a _whole_ apple. The tiny bit that was mushed into the ambrosia was enough to keep the immortality going for the gods, but it would never be enough to restore Apollo’s godhood. Apollo yelped as Helios teleported them away.

/break\

The sky around Olympus darkened as though night had come early. Zeus frowned confused. He knew Helios was taking care of the sun - it was the main reason why he had even gotten his punishment for Apollo _through_.

“How _dare you_ ”, roared an angry, dark voice.

Zeus sat up straighter on his throne as the Sun Titan materialized in front of him, looking like a vicious, avenging angel. There were still many Titans around and the general rule of thumb was to perhaps not anger them. They _were_ ancient and also powerful in most cases. Zeus blinked as he spotted his son behind Helios. The son Zeus had only just banished from Olympus.

“Apollo”, growled Zeus in warning.

“ _No_ ”, hollered Helios.

“ _You_ broke an Oath of Styx _twice_ , siring two demigods.

 _You_ interfered and turned one of them into a tree to cheat Death himself.

 _You_ are the king and were responsible to keep things such as Tartarus secure yet you allowed for your Father to reform and nearly overthrow you.

 _You_ let a teenage boy steal your symbol of power. 

You let your son Ares allign himself with Kronos during the Titan War without repercussions.

You let your wife make a fool out of you by playing with the memories of the heroes and having Romans and Greeks mingle, single-handedly throwing _all of Olympus_ into an identity crisis that very well nearly cost you all your lives and this war.

And yet here you are, acting like you are the one, true king who does no wrong. Punishing Apollo for… _What exactly did he do wrong_? He has helped your little pawns during both wars. He has done his best to restore the Oracle after it had been lost because _you had to anger Lord Hades_.”

Helios had stalked up to Zeus and by now was lifting the young god up by his throat, a nasty expression on Helios’ face as he squeezed. No amount of thundering and sparks was going to get Zeus out of the supernova-hot burning fury of a Sun Titan.

“You _will never lay a hand on Apollo again or you will find yourself right down there alongside your father_ ”, growled Helios in warning. “Believe me, no one is pleased with you and Hera anymore. The past handful of years _alone_ have proven what incapable rulers you have become. _You_ allowed not one, not two, but _four_ major wars to happen right under your nose within the last century _alone_. And so far, the only thing keeping from a revolution is that everyone is still licking their wounds. But so help me Chaos herself, if you ever lay hand on Apollo again, I will personally throw the first speer.”

Zeus looked positively mortified as Helios just dropped him. Still glowering, Helios went to his lover and picked Apollo up bridal-style before teleporting them to Alfheim. Apollo blinked dazed up at him as he slowly oriented himself.

“That was… really fucking hot”, grunted Apollo stunned. “My knight in golden-shining armor.”

Grinning and batting his eyelashes playfully, Apollo pulled Helios down into a kiss. “We’re taking a vacation. _Right now_.”

“No arguments from me, babe”, hummed Apollo pleased.

 _~*~ THE END ~*~_  
(and this time for real)  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I got [this ask](https://takaraphoenix.tumblr.com/post/167572226176/ok-ok-ok-so-i-really-really-fell-in-love-with) on tumblr and I kinda couldn't resist because I just saw Thor: Ragnarok and was feeling really very mythologically salty so I killed three birds with one stone. Point out how utterly ridiculous the foundation of Trials of Apollo is, something I kinda really enjoy, have nice and comforting fluff AND point out all things wrong with Marvel's Loki and Hel by, ya know, including the actual gods in something. I feel comforted.

**Author's Note:**

> The name Phoebus - sometimes falsely claimed to be Apollo’s Roman form - is an epithet. The gods have a shit-ton of those. Like, fancy godly nicknames. Seriously, look them up, some of them are so much fun. Anyway, Phoebus means “the shining, pure or bright” and was used in this story as what it is; a nickname.
> 
> Also, the Helios/Hecate mentioned relates to Helios/Perseis - a nymph or alter ego of Hecate and I personally prefer the alter ego idea to it.
> 
> And the "Dominic Sherwood is Apollo" tag was important because... google his eyes. They are just so perfect for Apollo, as described in the story.
> 
> Other than those, well, thank you for reading an own story of mine, though based on the Greek gods the myths woven as this came from my crazy mind and are for once not related to the Percy Jackson universe - honestly, no idea how he handles Frey and if Frey is the king of Alfheim in his definition of the myths too (frankly, also really don't care).
> 
> All of this was started over at [my tumblr](https://takaraphoenix.tumblr.com/) because I was bored and a recent ask concerning Apollo made me think about this ship and how much I'd like to write it.


End file.
